Apple today posted a number of new job listings indicating that the company will be opening retail stores in various locations in Brazil and Turkey. The listings include full slates of retail positions in each country, including Managers, Geniuses, Creatives, Specialists, and business-focused staff.

Apple's job listing for positions at Brazilian retail stores

Apple has been pursuing an aggressive expansion of its international retail store footprint, with 75% of the planned 30-35 new stores for fiscal 2013 being located outside of the United States. Sweden was the most recent country to gain its first Apple retail store with the mid-September opening of a Stockholm-area store, making Sweden the 14th country or region to host at least one Apple retail store.

Apple's legendary customer service is faltering. They're a victim of their own success, at least here in Toronto.

Last night my iPhone5's speaker stopped working and Apple Care over the phone determined it was hardware failure. I tried to make a Genius appointment and at first I thought I did something wrong, because the first available time slot was 5PM... Next Friday!

The Eaton Centre which is Apple's only downtown store is just a small store in a mall, even if it's Toronto's most popular mall. They badly need a downtown flagship store.

I've been with Apple for a decade, way before they were mainstream. Back then, if I had a problem, I got immediate service and really the legendary service that Apple is known for is what kept me around all this time. Problem with my PowerBook? They fixed it -- even out of warranty. Dead battery on my original generation iPod? Replaced, no questions asked.

Today: Problem with my iPhone 5 through no fault of my own? No Genius slots in the Apple store, and if I want an iPhone 5 replacement delivered through the mail, I have to pay $30. Really Apple? Your hardware fails and my only reasonable option to get it replaced quickly is to pay you? I'm disappointed. Good thing John Browett got canned but this seems like a larger problem.

(( Why those countries ?_? I have to pay double in my country and not great support either.

Because Brazil is the world's 4th largest IT market, with a gigantic middle/rich class willing to pay premium prices for Apple devices, even with all the tax imposition that exists there. In fact, a local retail Apple Store makes more than sense there, since local production has already started to lower the historically-high prices in the country

So the equation fits: local production + local logistics + local retail = lower prices and much higher sales numbers.

I don't buy that anymore. Why importing, legally, as an end consumer, a MBP is still cheaper than buying here? And that's considering the end price they charge at their stores, not the amount the spend making the laptops.

Also, why they jacked up 100% the iMac prices in the latest update considering the dollar/real exchange is roughly the same?

Because Brazil is the world's 4th largest IT market, with a gigantic middle/rich class willing to pay premium prices for Apple devices, even with all the tax imposition that exists there. In fact, a local retail Apple Store makes more than sense there, since local production has already started to lower the historically-high prices in the country

So the equation fits: local production + local logistics + local retail = lower prices and much higher sales numbers.

No, it's not (although per capita GDP is growing fast in the country). However, the upper middle class and richer classes have a lot of money and ARE willing to spend whatever it takes to have an Apple device.

In any case, I must agree with Akzel on one point: it's not ONLY about taxes; it's also about higher logistical costs AND the magic component of WILLINGNESS to pay (also known as "welfare" in Economics).

Just like places such as Switzerland, richer Brazilians still lack the collective sensitivity or transparent information to demand lower prices when compared to other international markets.

This happens mostly because the complex taxation system allows companies to mask their profit margins behind the excuse that fiscality is the sole responsible for those ridiculous prices...

This happens a lot in the automotive market in Brazil as well (where even locally-produced cars are sold in neighboring countries for MUCH lower prices even when all taxes are taken out of MRSPs).

"imported electronics"... Well, Foxxcon has an iDevices factory in Brazil (don't know if they actually make anything else in there), so how exactly does high import taxes affect this pricing?

When they moved in here, the propaganda was that prices should drop significantly since the 100% import tax rates wouldn't apply anymore, but prices remains the same - and now they've increased with the latest releases...

@1member1 - I agree with BRLawyer, except for the part where prices drop (I'm still to see this becoming true). Just to remember, back in the days of iPhone 2G, Apple noted that 1/3 of their devices were operating on a regular basis in Brazil, even though the only carrier authorized to sell the iPhone was AT&T, which doesn't operate in there.

At the very least this means brazillians were willing to pay for all the expenses that included buying an iPhone, importing it into Brazil, jailbreak it and unlock it to work with local carriers, for a total price of over US$ 1200.00 for the 16GB model - I know this because I was one of the guys that did this!

There is a HUGE market in here for Apple, if they make it through this taxes barrier without skyrocketing their prices

Because Brazil is the world's 4th largest IT market, with a gigantic middle/rich class willing to pay premium prices for Apple devices, even with all the tax imposition that exists there. In fact, a local retail Apple Store makes more than sense there, since local production has already started to lower the historically-high prices in the country

So the equation fits: local production + local logistics + local retail = lower prices and much higher sales numbers.

Is that reason enough for you?

Same in Greece, but apple decided to make a store in Turkey before making one in Greece :S
Too bad they don't seem to care about their customers...

The grand old days of Apple Store openings such as SoHo and Ginza may be over especially since the off chance of meeting Steve is now a foregone conclusion. Still, the lure of caipirinhas is strong indeed.

"imported electronics"... Well, Foxxcon has an iDevices factory in Brazil (don't know if they actually make anything else in there), so how exactly does high import taxes affect this pricing?

They don't make computers in those factories. As far as we know, they just make one model of iPhone. I can see why they wouldn't price a single iPhone model at the lower, Brazilian-made price, and the rest at the standard imported price.

nope .. US is developed country. I think you wish to have 1/1000 of what they have there..[COLOR="#808080"]

1/1000th of what exactly? Guns?

You don't seem to come from the US anyway...why bother?

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Quote:

Originally Posted by Kuray

Taxing in Turkey is as much as in Brazil I guess.

The distributor in Turkey sells and gives support for Apple products.

Buying it in Euro currency(instead of $) and distributor's profit+tax= High prices in Turkey.

We are waiting for Apple Store's instead of Apple Premium Reseller

I assure you Brazil's import tax and associated charges are much higher...the average imposition is of 60% of import tax alone, plus a plethora of State/Municipal taxes which, together, constitute some 100% markup on the US price, PLUS the local retailers' high profit margins.